Chair

Haining Qin (1)

Red List Authority Coordinator

Li-Na Zhao (1) (2)

Location/Affiliation (1) Intitute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China(2) College of Life Sciences, University of Chi-nese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Number of members

85

Social networks

Chat forum: WeChatWebsite: www.chinaplantredlist.org/

IUCN SSC China Plant

Specialist Group

Haining Qin

Mission statement

The mission of the China Plant Specialist Group (CPSG) is to contribute to the increase of current knowledge on the identification and conserva-tion of threatened species of China’s flora.

Main activities by Key Priority Area

(2016 & 2017)

Barometer of life

L Research activities

i. Publication of four articles addressing Red List assessments of China’s higher vascular plants, which included methods, procedures and results. In these papers we provided conserva-tion advice based on results. We also provided advice in regards to China higher vascular plants Red List in the future. (KSR #43)

ii. Twenty research articles published and four books completed. These articles address species richness, species diversity, conserva-tion actions, and taxonomy. Authors of these articles are members of CPSG. (KSR #32)

iii. Eighteen wild plant resources investigations completed. Thanks to the results provided by these investigations plant diversity for China higher vascular plants might increase. (KSR #12)

Capacity building

L Capacity building

i. Courses on biodiversity conservation completed by members of CPSG. These courses can provide opportunities to promote biodiver-sity conservation actions and show the conservation status and risk extinction of China’s plants to the public. (KSR #17)

Communications

L Communication

i. We have established a platform for information exchange among group members in real-time.

ii. We are building a website for higher vascular plants of China Red List (http://www.china-plantredlist.org/cpsg.php) as a window for the process of information exchange and promo-tion. It has a great effect on all aspects in biodiversity and, in some pages, information about CPSG is also provided. (KSR #6)

Conservation action

L Conservation activities

i. Our members have participated in several conservation actions, such as quillwort breeding and rejuvenation, artificial seedlings propagation, ex situ collection of Taxus mairei and reintroductions “getting back to nature” of a number of endangered species. (KSR #31)

L Synergy

i. Our members have participated in the building of several conservation networks. In particular, Yuhu Wu joined the media (http://www.thepaper.cn/) to finish a featured video that reached about 20 million people in the early of 2018. (KSR #29)

L Technical advice

i. Several expert members have provided technological advice on biodiversity conserva-tion to other conservation organizations or universities. (KSR #43)

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank the members that actively participated in the meetings and communica-tions of the CPSG, especially those experts who provided wonderful suggestions and advice to our CPSG. Above all, we sincerely thank the experts who are always contributing to conservation of China’s biodiversity for many years.

2016-2017 Report

Targets for the quadrennium 2017-2020

Barometer of life

Red List: complete assessment of 2,000 species of Chinese endemic plants.

Research activities: (1) twenty research articles completed; (2) 20 wild plant resources investi-gations completed.

Capacity building

Capacity building: provide a Conservation Biology course to increase Red Listing capacities.

Conservation action

Research activities: implement conservation actions related to ex situ and in situ conserva-tion, including plant introductions.

Projected impact for the quadrennium

2017-2020

We hope that by 2020, province-level Red Lists will be assessed in some provinces. For specific conservation actions, protection and reintro-duction of many threatened plants can be car-ried out, ensuring that some invaluable rare and endangered groups are protected in situ or ex situ. These actions will include: (1) carry out in-tegrated conservation of four threatened plants in the Jinsha River; (2) conduct in situ conser-vation in the Panzhihua and ex situ conserva-tion in Kunming Botanic Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; (3) introduction of 15-20 protected plants, including relevant introduction and domestication studies; (4) complete field investigations (national full-coverage) of the wild plant species in the Jiangsu province.

Summary of activities (2016-2017)

Key Priority Area ratio: 4/7

Key Priority Areas addressed:

• Barometer of life (3 activities)

• Capacity building (1 activity)

• Communications (2 activities)

• Conservation action (3 activities)

Main KSRs addressed: 6, 12, 17, 29, 31, 32, 43 KSR: Key Species Result

Activities to popularize scientific knowledge on higher vascular plants of China Photos: Fang Wen